Reverse Russian Roulette

This morning I received word that an unusual event was abouttotake place. Former Foreign Minister Avigdor Yvette Lieberman was coming tovisitin Hebron.

Why unusual? Numerous diplomats, including ministers and MKsvisitHebron fairly frequently. What was different this time wasthepersonality, the visitor. I have no recollection when was the last time Lieberman visited Hebron.

He lives in Gush Etzion, about a half hour from here. He’shadfairly significant positions for quite a while, but doesn’t frequent Hebron.

Actually, immediately after leaving his car, surrounded by amassof pushing, shoving cameras, he stopped for a moment and revealed thereasonof thisvisit. He told that on election day, in 1996, when he was one of Netanyahu’s chief honchos, after the polls closed, when the results weren’tlookinggreat for Bibi, he decided to come to Ma’arat HaMachpela in Hebron.

Poignantlyhedescribed receiving a phone call while standing on the outside stairs, withinformationthat the numbers seemed to have changed, that Bibi was winning.

His party entered the building, prayed, and upon leaving received another call sayingthatthe results were final. Bibi was PM. (Big smile).

So, it seems that this time the former FM decided to comeandpray before that fact, rather than after.

The big question is, what was he praying for?

Various articles are showing the Likud Beitenu party formingacoalition with the ‘Center Left,’ preferringMufaz, Livni and Lapid to Shas and Bennett.

Maybe he was praying for enoughvotesto be able to put that together.

Or maybe he has information we don’t, showing that his partycouldconceivably lose.

Doesn’t seem likely.

But he did announce that should he be convicted of fraud, hewillleave politics. Guys like Lieberman really don’t want to walk away fromjobslike his. So maybe he was praying for acquittal.

He didn’t tell anyone. But, in the Abraham and Sarahhall,afterchasing out the reporters and photographers, following some Psalms andafternoon Mincha prayers, a special prayer ofthanksgiving, recited every Shabbat, was repeated, praising G-d for all his goodness.

Noam Arnon and I tried to get in a word edgewise. We both,briefly, mentioned the disgraceful situation atMachpeladue to the refusal toallowus to roof the open courtyard. A few days ago the useless tent above thecourtyarddripped water and snow onto prayer books and chairs, soaking everything. Usually,duringheavy rain, the site floods.

Leaving the building, again being photographed from everywhichdirection, he refused to say anything to the many journalists who hadbeeninvited to participate in the visit. Lieberman also didn’t see anynecessityto visit any of the other sites, or neighborhoods in Hebron. Hejumpedinto his car and drove off.

We had some other questions for him, but didn’t have achanceto ask. For example, his statement that the ‘2- state solution’ will beapillar of the next Netanyahu government’s policy. We wanted to know what, inhisopinion, would happen to Ma’arat HaMachpela and Hebron should this policybe, G-d forbid, implemented.

But we didn’t get a chance to ask.

Before elections politicians tend to do strange things thatwouldnever enter their minds to do at any other time. Like, in this case, cometoHebron. It would have been nice had the former FM exclaimed, even during anelection campaign, that ‘Hebron withbeJewish forever’, or ‘we will neverabandonour Patriarchs and Matriarchs.’ But,nyet. Nada.

I sort of got the feeling that Lieberman was playing anupdatedversion of reverse Russian roulette. Spinning the barrel, letting the bullet fallinto placeand then pull the trigger. Come into Hebron, mutter some words at aholyplace, and then wait for the results, hoping the prayers hit home.

I have another feeling that Avigdor Yvette Lieberman isgoingto need more than that before he’s able to take his seat in the nextgovernment. Otherwise, he’s liable to take a seat next to Katzav in Ramla, theplaceleft empty when Deri went home.